The struggle is real...

​We are all struggling. Whether we see it in one another or not, we are all struggling with something at any given time on any given day.
 
This was me a couple weeks ago on a beautiful Saturday morning. I just woke up feeling blah. I didn’t like the way I felt in my clothes or what I saw in the mirror. It was just one of those mornings. It was a struggle to be positive, to put a smile on my face and keep on keepin’ on.
 
But I put it behind me and walked out the door knowing I had a busy morning and would be amongst friends for the day. I’ll be honest, I didn’t really think about it again once I got to the gym as there aren’t mirrors there (thankfully). Regardless, the feelings were still there under the surface. You know what I mean, right?
 
So on this particular morning, we were doing a hero WOD at my gym, Memorial Day Murph. This consisted of a 1 mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats (partitioned however you wanted – I did mine in 20 rounds of 5-10-15), then another 1 mile run.
 
During the last mile, I was running the opposite direction of the people in the next round who were running their first mile. It was awesome cheering them on, just as they kept me going with their cheers and words of encouragement. At this point in my workout, I had my shirt off and was running in a sports bra and shorts (did I mention it was miserable hot and sunny??).
 
After it was all said and done, I felt amazing. I felt strong. I had a huge PR from doing this same workout in 2015. And then one of the girls said something to me that literally brought tears to my eyes and sent chills through my body…she looked at me and said, “Whitney, I just have to tell you…you are one bad ass muscular woman. There aren’t many people that look good running, but you are one of them.”
 
I couldn’t believe it because that was exactly what I needed to hear that day. I thanked her and told her about my morning. It’s amazing how hearing something like that can be so profound and can alter your day, in such a GREAT way!!
 
I think, far too often, we are so absorbed in what we look like or how we are feeling that we don’t realize other people are also struggling…with their looks, with how they feel, with personal relationships in their lives, with whatever is going on in their lives. With the right words and sentiment behind it, we can literally change another person’s day!
 
Let’s try to remember this as we go through our days. Every person we meet is literally going through their own struggle, no matter how big or small it is. So we should be slow to judge, quick to feel compassion, and have a nice word for everyone. It literally costs nothing to give someone a smile and a “hello” or “have a nice day” or even a compliment. I told a stranger in a store the other day that I loved her dress. I promise, it makes a huge difference in people’s lives!!
 
I hope you have a beautiful day!! And remember, YOU are amazing! You are unique and beautiful and a blessing to this world!
 
With love and wellness,
Whitney